Jelly packs are the latest and greatest skin care innovation out of South Korea. (I swear, every week there is a new one — last week, I just reviewed the new splash masks from Korea!) The jelly pack is designed to be a mix between an anti-aging treatment mask + a makeup primer. Korean film star Ha Jiwon invented the jelly pack after years of spending hours in morning trying to make her skin look its best for photo & film shoots (Glow Recipe); she worked with Korea’s top cosmetic labs, and made it happen with the J. One Jelly Pack.
Here’s my full review, including the scientific and just my plain personal assessment!
Fullerene
Fullerene is included in the J. One Jelly Pack as an antioxidant.
“Antioxidant’ is a loaded term in skin care. Most antioxidants act as free radical scavengers that work on certain cellular pathways. For instance, vitamins C, E, and coenzyme Q10 work on one pathway within the skin, whereas idebenone works on another, and green tea’s EGCG works on yet a third. There are literally thousands of these pathways, and scientists aren’t quite sure if and how these pathways interact.
Studies show fullerene has a unique “sponge-like” antioxidant activity that may work on a variety of pathways as a oxygen radical absorber (Nano Med Journal, 2010). In a skin care product, this obviously implies it may have strong preventative anti-aging properties as an ingredient, as confirmed by a study that demonstrates use of fullerene twice daily results in significant wrinkle reduction within eight weeks (Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, 2010).
Fullerene may also improve acne vulgaris. In an open trial using a fullerene gel twice a day, the amount of acne lesions reduced by 23% after four weeks and about 35% after eight weeks (Nano Med Journal, 2010). This means fullerene shows great potential as a dual preventative anti-aging treatment and acne reducer in one.
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid is the acidic form of sodium hyaluronate. While hyaluronic acid is less stable than sodium hyaluronate, hyaluronic acid is more commonly used in skin care anyway, due to the fact that it can bind up to 1000 times its volume in water (Baumann). (To give you an idea, that’s like you or I being able to carry about 150,000 16.9-ounce bottles of water. As someone who occasionally carries 24-packs of water up her stairs, I can tell you, 150,000 ain’t gonna happen this lifetime)!
So hyaluronic acid has great potential in plumping up skin, making it look and feel more hydrated, and giving a dewy glow. It also has great properties that make it a wonderful primer base: Unlike many humectants, hyaluronic acid is effective in both high and low humidity conditions. It manages to lock moisture into the skin and to draw it into the skin from the environment without drawing “up’ moisture from lower layers of the skin, which is a problem with a lot of humectants.
Chamomile Flower Water
Chamomile has been used for hundred of years as a soothing agent. For skin care, homeopathic physicians often recommend chamomile for eczema. Studies confirm chamomile significantly improves wound healing and drying (Zeitschrift für Hautkrankheiten). Some studies further report chamomile has anti-inflammatory and soothing effects (Skin Therapy Letters) while others report its wound-healing properties. A double-blind trial published in JAMA Dermatology showed that chamomile significantly reduced wounds’ surface area, with healing time only reduced in the tested animals.
I personally am allergic to ragweed, which means I can’t use most products with chamomile. I was careful to patch test J. One Jelly Pack behind an ear before taking a risk with my entire face! It was fine, so I proceeded.
Personal Use and Opinions
So, it’s interesting. The creator of the product designed J. One Jelly Pack to be used in the morning as a mask/primer, but the American instructions say to use it at night. See?
“After cleansing and toning at night, dispense an appropriate amount of the jelly pack and massage it all over the face and neck for 1 to 2 minutes. Wait until it gets fully absorbed by the skin then get your beauty sleep. Wash it off the next morning.”
So I chose to use the product in the morning. J. One Jelly Pack does feel like jelly. And maybe this is why jelly comes in jars, not pumps: When you use it, its viscous nature means not a lot comes out with each pump, so you need to pump quite a few times to get enough product for your face, neck, and upper chest.
Unlike jelly, it’s not sticky. A little thick and viscous, maybe, but not sticky. It glides across the skin and leaves a slightly glossy, dewy finish. It did make my foundation go on more easily, but since I’m a skincare gal, I’m recommending this more for the fullerene and hyaluronic acid than the cosmetic aspect.
Bottom Line
If you’re over the age of 25 and still getting (non-cystic) acne, and your usual salicylic acid/benzoyl peroxide/AHA/retinoid/charcoal regimen has proved to be futile, then I suggest trying J. One Jelly Pack. It is one of the few products I’ve encountered that contains fullerene (C60), an ingredient with very strong antioxidant properties and promising research supporting its use against fine lines and wrinkles as well as acne vulgaris. I recommend it for those persons.
Otherwise, the fullerene is a nice antioxidant to add into your anti-aging arsenal, and you’ll see some brightening from the niacinamide as well, but this one is more of a “nice-to-have” than a “must-have” — unless, of course, you’re over the age of 25 and still getting acne regularly, in which case, I’ll call it a “must-have” for you!
Ingredients in J. One Jelly Pack
Water, Polysorbate 80, PEG-150 Disterate, Niacinamide, 1,2-Hexanediol, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Rosemary Leaf Water, Chamomile Flower Water, Yeast/Fermented black tea extract, Imperata Cylindrica Root Extract, Nuphar Luteum Flower Extract, Sea Daffodil Flower Extract, Glycerin, Adenosine, Hydrolyzed Hylauronic Acid, Dipropylene Glycol, Sucrose Distearate, Cyclopentasilxane, Butylene Glycol, Dimethicone, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer, PEG-8, Hydroxyethylcelluclose, Potassium Sorbate Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5, PVP, Fullerene, Carbomer, Disodium EDTA, Phenoxyethanol, Sodum Benzoate, Citric Acid, Dehydroacetic Acid.